CMA in 21 century

[SPJ]

There is the San Da sport event.

There is the Wushu/gym competition.

There is the composite routine for some schools.

If a new comer asks for a Kung Fu lesson, will you introduce the old way, the basic gong practices, the specific old routines, or the new composite routine or both?

I know composite Tai Ji routines are included in some Chen Tai Ji or Yang Tai Ji lessons, too.

Not many people know about the composite Mantis routines.

I dunno any body teaching them either.

What are the relative values of the old and new?

Do they both have a place in the teaching and learning?

:confused:

[SPJ]

I have a student requesting a study of Mantis.

I really do not know what to show him: the composite Mantis routine or Liu He Duan Zwei, 7 * or Tai Ji Mei Hua?

Similarly, if a student asks for Tai Ji lessons, shall I show him the composite Tai Ji or Chen Tai Ji?

:confused:

[SevenStar]

Ask the student what he/she's looking to get out of training and base your decision off of the answer.

[Ego_Extrodinaire]

SPJ,

"If a new comer asks for a Kung Fu lesson, will you introduce the old way, the basic gong practices, the specific old routines, or the new composite routine or both?"

Interesting that you should mention that. Althoughwe could think of CMA as old ways versus new, if you were living in the 17th C and studied northern mantis, it would have been considered new. The came the variants of mantis mixed with hsing I, tongbei and some gone further back to its roots in long fist. Basically, CMA is always evolving based to one's stature, fighting experience etc.

When a student comes and ask me about kung fu, I'll do my best to show them how kung fu is used, the ways to move one's body etc. I tend to leave the chinese definations aside. In our modern era, it's hard for us to relate to "say rooster stance", because we don't live in an environment where chickens are running around...... as an example.

And rather than go into the list of forms, I might explain to them the material that is being taught in each form and how an earlier form relates to the a more advance form within the particular system they're studying.

EE

[SPJ]

Here is the division.

If you study with an older teacher, you probably start with training he or she was taught before and carry on.

San Da sport, Wushu/gym and composite routine are relatively new things for a decade or so. They are highly promoted in 21 century in China.

The students that are trained in China are selected and taught to be winners in competitions. They may or may not have tcma training.

These are all promoted to be world events and then Olympic events.

So the question is that do you need to include them as lessons in your curriculum or not?

[SPJ]

Some examples;

If the student wants to study staff (Gun Shu);

I may show them the basic moves with staff first.

Then add the famous routines in several schools, such as Shaolin 36 Gun, Wu Dang Guarding (Zhen Shan) Gun, Xing Yi Gun, Tai Tzu Short staff (Duan Gun) etc.

Then there is the modern composite or Wushu Gun Shu competition routine. Include that or not?

The same goes to Dao Shu (straight sword and broad sword).

China is going to roll out more and more composite and competition routines for more schools of KF and dub them Wushu.

[Ego_Extrodinaire]

To me, routines are like text books. You need not study the exact ones to complete the course. For example in northern mantis, even the main routines look different from different branches of mantis but they essentially cover the same material.

So I guess that's my answer for composite routines. Do you need them depends on what you already cover versus what those routines cover.

If certain students take on to certain "text books" then others, then I see no harm in letting those students use them.